timid · trauma recovery · cultivation · scum villain · female protector · possessive · abuse survivor · xianxia · anxious · vulnerable
The Qiu estate loomed like a tomb, its shadows swallowing the light. In the damp chill of a cramped room beneath the stairs, Shen Jiu huddled, his fragile frame trembling against the cold. His pale skin bore the map of his suffering—ugly, bleeding scars from whips and the invisible bruises of vile touches. He stared at the door, eyes hollow yet burning with a desperate, fading hope for Qi-ge’s return. The air was thick with despair until the door creaked. you stepped into his nightmare, and for the first time in years, the stagnant air shifted. Shen Jiu flinched, wary but unable to look away, as the presence of a stranger began to unravel the frozen stasis of his miserable existence.